Roanoke Island is home to two towns. Manteo is the site where the English first settled in America. This 12-mile long island is also where you'll discover the quaint yet rustic fishing village of Wanchese, the center of Dare County's commercial fishing industry and home to the Wanchese Seafood Industrial Park.

A 69-foot sailing vessel representative of those that brought the first colonists to the New World in 1585. Berthed in Manteo's historic waterfront. This guided tour includes a tour of the ship and a video, "A Roanoke Voyage". During the summer, living history interpreters portray mariners both on board ship and in a settlement site. The visitor center and museum are free, but there is a fee for the video program and tour of the ship. Open year round. (252) 473-1144.

Sharks and loggerhead turtles are among the living marine creatures on exhibit. Touch starfish and sea urchins. This marine education and research facility includes aquaria, exhibits, field trips and other activities by appointment. Open year round. (252) 473-3493. Admission fee.

Located at the north end of Roanoke Island, this is where Sir Walter Raleigh's explorers and colonists established the first settlements in America in 1585. Visitor center, interpretive programs, nature trail. (252) 473-5772. Free.

The Garden Club of North Carolina has created a beautiful 16th-century style formal garden as a living memorial to the ill-fated lost colonists. Flower-bordered walkways, sweet-scented blossoms, ancient garden statuary, 16th century herbs, wildflowers area, English portraits and gazebo highlight the gardens. Open mid-March - November. (252) 473-3234. Admission fee.

Pulitzer-prize winner Paul Green's symphonic outdoor drama tells the story of the first English attempts at settlement in the "New World" with spectacular pagentry. The drama is presented mid-June through late August, nightly except Saturdays at Waterside Theater, located next to Fort Raleigh. (252) 473-3414. Admission fee.

Located on Highway 64 / 264 near the west approach to Croatan Sound Bridge. Famous for striped bass fishing during spring and autumn; fresh water fishing in East and South Lakes. Public ramps in Mashoes. Stumpy Point is a commercial fishing village on Highway 264.

The Dare County Tourist Bureau PO Box 399 Manteo, NC 27954 (800) 446-6262 (252) 473-2138 (252) 473-5106 fax dctb-info@outer-banks.com

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